I am pleased to announce that my mom is speaking to me again and I feel like we have at least started the process of working through our issues. Thank the lord. It definitely isn’t all sunshine and roses right now — we don’t have a plan (we’re both planners…). We don’t know what’s going to happen in the coming months. But we have both agreed to work together to try to make changes in our relationship. I hope we all end up happier in the long run.
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We are also making progress in other moving related aspects of our lives. We looked at more houses on Monday and we’ve narrowed the selection down significantly. I’ll freely admit, I already have my heart set on one but we’ll see what the next few days bring to see if it is really a possibility. The house is a 4 bedroom ranch and the thought of having everyone on the same floor and not having to carry babies up and down the stairs for diaper changes or hauling laundry makes the concept of 3 under 2 seem slightly easier. We’ll be going to Peru again on Saturday (or at least Mike will) and will hopefully make an offer on something in order to move this process along.
Mike’s last day in Effingham is on Monday as he has meetings in Bloomington the rest of next week. In many regards, this is happening very quickly. We’re realistic and know that we won’t have a house or be moved by the time Mike starts his new job on June 22 (that’s like a week — holy crap!), but we hope we can move the process along quickly enough so that we can be into a new house and at least semi-settled before the twins are born. I’d also hate to go into labor with Mike 3 1/2 hours away… but that is a whole other worry… Mike will most likely stay in a hotel or commute the 1 1/2 hours from his parents (each way) to the new job for awhile.
At this point, the moving and packing isn’t worrying me too much. Ask me again in a few weeks and it may be a different scenario. Movers will come in and do most of the packing – so I’m trying not to add that to my stress level. In all honesty, I’m looking forward to getting rid of some of our clutter. In some ways, I think moving with a fully intact nesting instinct might not be the worst thing ever. Let’s just hope I’m still feeling well and moving around well when we actually move — I think I’m in a second trimester energy spurt right now. 
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I know that many people do not understand my blog. That has become more evident in the last week than it ever has been before. And unless you’re a blogger yourself (a big thanks to those of you who do understand and supported me in numerous ways) it is difficult to explain how cathartic and helpful a blog can be during times of crisis. It’s also an indirect way to reach people that is usually quite effective. While my words don’t always have the desired result and are sometimes misunderstood and taken out of context, for the most part my blog has been a very positive aspect of my life over the last three years and I have no plans to stop blogging or to stop sharing my life with others in this way.
One aspect of all of this I’ve noticed — it seems like older generations have more difficulty accepting public openness than younger generations. With tools like Facebook, Twitter, blogs, and hundreds of other social networking applications at our fingertips, younger generations seem to be more open and willing to put their life out there for others — both the good and the bad. What has changed to make this shift from keeping everything private (even though everyone was talking about it anyway) to being able to talk about your life relatively freely? Is this a good shift or a bad shift? Does your age/generation impact the way you feel about this topic?
I'm so glad you and your mom are communicating again. Good luck with all things move related.
I honestly don't know exactly what has shifted to make talking about your life easier but, overall, I think its a good thing.
I have a love/hate relationship with the internet in general. Of course, I love our community and the support I have received. I have another blog that is just Katherine – for all my family because we don't have any family here. They like to see videos and pictures of her daily.
I just wonder if she will hate having all of her life and photos out there in cyberspace when she gets older?
So happy to hear you and your mom are making steps ahead.
As far as your questions:
I truly enjoy writing my own blog freely as well as reading others who do the same. It helps to relieve some of the pent up emotions that are too hard to verbalize with others around you, especially when they won't or don't understand those emotions. I would love to share with my kids some day my writings so they can see how different things were as well as understand and know about their past. My parent's generation did not have these outlets, and I do not know much about my past, and which I did.
Jamie that is awesome you guys are at least talking again!
And a 4 bedroom ranch would be great with 3 small kids! When we moved we went from a 2 story to a 4 bedroom ranch and I love it, for all the reasons you mentioned! However I know in the next 5 years I want back in a 2 story for teenage years LOL
~Leanne
Sorry it won't let me log in because I forgot my password…. again
I am glad you and your mom are talking again.
In some ways the shift to posting publicly is good, it becomes easier to share with others what is going on. It also keeps some people from having relationships with people in real life which means it can be easy to put up a front and control what is talked about. That aspect isn't good.
I maintain my blog anonymously- because I don't want to be googled or have my family googled.I also see a lot of peole taking their blogs private after having been public, as concern arses about jobs and privacy. It's an evolving situation, I think. I am also far more private in my pblic blog than I am in personal e-mails, for those reasons. Maybe one day i will switch over to WordPress, so I can password pages or posts.
Glad to hear things are going so much better! I can't wait to see what house you get. It's all a very stressful, yet exciting process! ~Becca L.
I'm glad your mom is talking to you again!
We have a 1.5-story house with the nursery on the second floor. Many a time I have thought that a ranch would be nice with twins!
I'm 32 and have been blogging for 3 years. My blog is not password protected and I'd rather keep it that way because I lost enough readers during pregnancy. It's one thing for me to talk about infertility and IVF, but I don't like the fact that my 7-month-olds are already Googleable.
So happy to hear that you and your Mom are speaking again. I hope the fences keep mending.
I've been wanting to say to you that I had the same problem on my blog when I posted my frustrations with my husband. An anonymous commenter also thought I shouldn't be airing my problems online. But what I had said was nothing I hadn't said to my husband a million times nor did I think it was that bad (I said he was a slob) so the reaction really perplexed me. I love it when people are honest about their lives on their blogs because as we know, no one has a perfect life and I don't like when people pretend that they have one.
Also, congratulations on the move! I know change can be scary for some people but I find it exciting. I moved many times including from the east coast to the west coast and from the US to the UK (and back). It's also nice to hear things are on the mend with your mother. I am also quite close with my mother and would hate it if something similar happened.
I'm glad things are getting better with your mum and I hope you get the dream house–no stairs with the twins is definitely a plus.
I second the fact that putting the words out there can be so cathartic. As well as the support and community–knowing that someone is processing your words too.
I am appalled at horrible words that were put on your blog.
I went back and read everything and NOTHING on there warranted such a reaction from anyone.
It is like television, if you don't like it, don't watch it. Some people just need to be rude, it is their way of bringing the rest of the world down with them.
They are more pathetic than anything, and I feel bad for the people who associate with them.
You are doing a great thing for your family and hopefully… hopefully mama will follow ya. How could you not? You are such a happy looking family.
Good luck!